Benjamin Kamine is a PhD candidate in Midrash at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, where he also works as an adjunct instructor in the area of Rabbinic Literatures and Cultures. His research explores how early stories of heretics in classical rabbinic literature reinforced the rabbis' construction of Jewish identity in late antiquity. He is also an adjunct instructor at Union Theological Seminary in Hebrew Bible and Interreligious Engagement.

Benjamin works as an interreligious educator and facilitator and was a 2022 International KAICIID fellow. Recent publications include: "From Midrash to Dialogue: Teaching Judaism in Interreligious Spaces" and "Eshet Chayil: Emotional Labor in Midrash Aggadah."

“Not For the Sake of Heaven”: Korach and the Nature of Destructive Disagreement
The Mishnah tells us three things about Korach: he is barred from the World to Come; the hole that swallowed him was made during Creation; and he is the paradigm of disagreement that is “not for the sake of Heaven.” For the rabbis, Korach has cosmic significance – his rebellion was anticipated at Creation, and its consequences reverberate into the World to Come.

Why do the rabbis react to Korach in this way?

What is it about him that arouses their ire?

Ultimately, this is a question of what productive disagreement is supposed to look like.  Argument is a core Jewish value.  Doing it correctly can be a holy act “for the sake of Heaven.”  In Korach, the rabbis find a profound threat, someone who seeks to win arguments with displays of wealth, rather than Torah.  In this session, we will explore the complex ways that the early rabbis paint Moses’ most potent enemy since Pharaoh, and one who is a fellow Jew.

We will examine the thinking behind several midrashim that show how the growing rabbinic movement used the story of Korach to wrestle with its own identity.